System and method for selection of messaging settings on a messaging client

ABSTRACT

A method and system of selecting messaging settings on a messaging client are provided. When an outgoing message to be sent from the messaging client is addressed to a message recipient, the messaging client accesses a data store to determine whether specific messaging settings have been stored for the message recipient. If specific messaging settings have been stored for the message recipient, the messaging client selects the specific messaging settings for the message recipient to control the message characteristics of the outgoing message.

REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.10/512,551, filed Oct. 25, 2004, which is a National Phase ofInternational Application No. PCT/CA2003/00606, filed Apr. 24, 2003,which claims priority from U.S. application Ser. No. 60/375,449, filedApr. 26, 2002, the entireties of which are incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to the field of secure electronicmessaging, and in particular to selecting messaging configurationsettings on a messaging client.

2. Description of the Related Art

Known secure messaging software clients, such as e-mail softwareapplications operating on desktop computer systems, can use only one setof messaging settings at a time. Messaging settings may be establishedby using a mouse, a keyboard or another input device, for example, toconfigure such message characteristics as formats, fonts, and commontext that should appear in all outgoing messages, as well as securemessaging characteristics such as message signing and encryption.Although a user may establish more than one group of settings, only onegroup, previously selected as current or default settings, controlsmessaging operations on a messaging client at any time. In order toconfigure different message characteristics for an outgoing message thanthose established in the current settings, the current settings must beover-ridden or another group of settings must be selected. Theseoperations tend to be cumbersome, particularly when messagecharacteristics must be changed frequently, such as when the addresseesof outgoing messages have different messaging capabilities.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the invention, a method of selectingmessaging settings on a messaging client is provided. The methodincludes the steps of composing an outgoing message, addressing theoutgoing message to a message recipient, determining whether specificmessaging settings have been established for the message recipient, andselecting the specific messaging settings to control messagecharacteristics of the outgoing message where specific messagingsettings for the message recipient have been established.

A system for selecting messaging settings is also provided in accordancewith another aspect of the invention. The system includes a data storeconfigured to store a plurality of specific messaging settings, and amessaging client configured to send messages, each of the messageshaving message characteristics and being addressed to a messagerecipient, to access the data store to determine whether specificmessaging settings have been stored for the message recipient to which amessage is addressed and to select the specific messaging settings forthe message recipient to control the message characteristics of theoutgoing message where specific messaging settings have been stored forthe message recipient.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary messaging system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a secure e-mail message exchangein a messaging system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a wireless mobile communication deviceimplementing an automatic messaging setting selection system.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an exemplary address book entry thatsupports messaging settings selection.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method of selecting messagingsettings on a messaging client.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a wireless mobile communication device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Messaging settings may control general message characteristics such asmessage format and fonts for both unsecure messages and secure messages.Unsecure messages include, for example, classical e-mail messages thatare exchanged between messaging clients through the Internet. Securemessage characteristics such as message signing and encryption may alsobe controlled by establishing message settings. Secure messages may besigned with a digital signature, encrypted, or both signed andencrypted, and possibly also processed in other ways by a message senderor intermediate system between a message sender and a messaging clientwhich receives the secure message. For example, a secure message may besigned, encrypted and then signed, or signed and then encrypted by amessage sender according to variants of Secure Multipurpose InternetMail Extensions (S/MIME). A secure message could similarly be encoded,compressed or otherwise processed either before or after being signedand/or encrypted. Thus, a group of message settings may include generalmessage settings, secure message settings, or both.

A messaging client allows a system on which it operates to receive andpossibly also send messages. Messaging clients may operate on a computersystem, a handheld device, or any other system or device withcommunications capabilities. Many messaging clients also have additionalnon-messaging functions.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary messaging system in which thepresent invention may be implemented. The system 10 includes a Wide AreaNetwork (WAN) 12, coupled to a computer system 14, a wireless networkgateway 16, and a corporate Local Area Network (LAN) 18. The wirelessnetwork gateway 16 is also coupled to a wireless communication network20, in which a wireless mobile communication device 22 (“mobile device”)is configured to operate.

The computer system 14 may be a desktop or laptop personal computer(PC), which is configured to communicate to the WAN 12, the Internet,for example. PCs, such as computer system 14, normally access theInternet through an Internet Service Provider (ISP), an ApplicationService Provider (ASP), or the like.

The corporate LAN 18 is an example of a network-based messaging client.It is normally located behind a security firewall 24. Within thecorporate LAN 30, a message server 26, operating on a computer behindthe firewall 24 serves as the primary interface for the corporation toexchange messages both within the LAN 18, and with other externalmessaging clients via the WAN 12. Two known message servers 26 areMicrosoft™ Exchange server and Lotus Domino™ server. These servers 26are often used in conjunction with Internet mail routers to route anddeliver mail messages. The message server 26 may also provide additionalfunctionality, such as dynamic database storage for calendars, todolists, task lists, e-mail, electronic documentation, etc.

The message server 26 provides messaging capabilities to thecorporation's networked computer systems 28 coupled to the LAN 18. Atypical LAN 18 includes multiple computer systems 28, each of whichimplements a messaging client, such as Microsoft Outlook™, Lotus Notes,etc. Within the LAN 18, messages are received by the message server 26,distributed to the appropriate mailboxes for user accounts addressed inthe received message, and are then accessed by a user through amessaging client operating in conjunction with a computer system 28.

The wireless gateway 16 provides an interface to a wireless network 20,through which messages may be exchanged with a mobile device 22. Suchfunctions as addressing of the mobile device 22, encoding or otherwisetransforming messages for wireless transmission, and any other requiredinterface functions are performed by the wireless gateway 16. Thewireless gateway may be configured to operate with more than onewireless network 20, in which case the wireless gateway 16 may alsodetermine a most likely network for locating a given mobile device userand track users as they roam between countries or networks.

Any computer system 14, 28 with access to the WAN 12 may exchangemessages with a mobile device 22 through the wireless network gateway16. Alternatively, private wireless network gateways, such as wirelessVirtual Private Network (VPN) routers could also be implemented toprovide a private interface to a wireless network. For example, awireless VPN implemented in the LAN 18 provides a private interface fromthe LAN 18 to one or more mobile devices 22 through the wireless network20. Such a private interface to mobile devices 22 via the wirelessnetwork gateway 16 and/or the wireless network 20 may also effectivelybe extended to entities outside the LAN 18 by providing a messageforwarding or redirection system that operates with the message server26. Such a redirection system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,219,694,which is hereby incorporated into this application by reference. In thistype of redirection system, incoming messages received by the messageserver 26 and addressed to a user of a mobile device 22 are sent throughthe wireless network interface, either a wireless VPN router, thewireless network gateway 16, or some other interface, to the wirelessnetwork 20 and to the user's mobile device 22. Another alternateinterface to a user's mailbox on a message server 26 is a WirelessApplication Protocol (WAP) gateway. In one such implementation, a listof messages in a user's mailbox on the message server 26, and possiblyeach message or a portion of each message, is sent to the mobile device22 through a WAP gateway.

A wireless network 20 normally delivers messages to and from mobiledevices 22 via RF transmissions between base stations and mobile devices22. The wireless network 20 may, for example, be: (1) a data-centricwireless network, (2) a voice-centric wireless network, or (3) adual-mode network that can support both voice and data communicationsover the same infrastructure. Recently developed wireless networksinclude: (1) the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, (2) theGroupe Special Mobile or the Global System for Mobile Communications(GSM) and the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) networks, and (3)third-generation (3G) networks, such as Enhanced Data rates for GlobalEvolution (EDGE) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems (UMTS),which are currently under development. GPRS is a data overlay on theexisting GSM wireless network, which is used in many parts of the world.

Examples of data-centric networks include: (1) the Mobitex™ RadioNetwork (“Mobitex”), and (2) the DataTAC™ Radio Network (“DataTAC”).Examples of known voice-centric networks include Personal CommunicationSystems (PCS) networks like CDMA, GSM, and Time Division Multiple Access(TDMA) systems that have been available in North America and world-widefor nearly 10 years.

The mobile device 22 may be a data communication device, a voicecommunication device such as a mobile telephone with data communicationsfunctionality, or a multiple-mode device capable of voice, data andother types of communications. An exemplary mobile device 22 isdescribed in further detail below.

Perhaps the most common type of messaging currently in use is e-mail. Ina standard e-mail system, an e-mail message is sent by an e-mail sender,possibly through a message server and/or a service provider system, andthen routed through the Internet to one or more message receivers.E-mail messages are normally sent in the clear and typically use SimpleMail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) headers and Multi-purpose Internet MailExtensions (MIME) body parts to define the format of the e-mail message.

In recent years, secure messaging techniques have evolved to protectboth the content and integrity of messages, such as e-mail messages.S/MIME and Pretty Good Privacy™ (PGP™) are two public key secure e-mailmessaging protocols that provide for both encryption, to protect datacontent, and signing, which protects the integrity of a message andprovides for sender authentication by a message receiver. In addition toutilizing digital signatures and possibly encryption, secure messagesmay also or instead be encoded, compressed or otherwise processed. Itwill be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the techniquesdescribed herein are in no way restricted to the above secure messagingschemes, or even to secure messaging. Secure messaging settingsrepresent an illustrative example of one type of messaging settings towhich the selection techniques of the present invention are applicable.It should also be appreciated that these techniques are applicable toother types of messaging than email, including instant messaging andShort Messaging Service (SMS), for example.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a secure e-mail message exchangein a messaging system. The system includes an e-mail sender 30, coupledto a WAN 32, and a wireless network gateway 34, which provides aninterface between the WAN 32 and a wireless network 36. A mobile device38 is adapted to operate within the wireless network 36.

The e-mail sender 30 may be a PC, such as 14 or 28 in FIG. 1, or amobile device, on which a messaging client operates to enable e-mailmessages to be composed and sent. The WAN 32, the wireless networkgateway 34, the wireless network 36, and the mobile device 38 aresubstantially the same as similarly-labelled components in FIG. 1.

According to a public key signature scheme, a secure e-mail messagesender 30 typically signs a message by using the sender's signatureprivate key to perform an encryption or some other transformationoperation on a message or a digest of the message to generate a digitalsignature in accordance with a signature algorithm. Those skilled in theart will appreciate that although completion of a digital signaturealgorithm requires a secret key known only to the message sender,portions of some signature algorithms, such as generating a digest ofparts of a message using Secure Hashing Algorithm 1 (SHA-1) or MessageDigest algorithm 5 (MD5), for example, do not involve the secret key.

The digital signature is then appended to the outgoing message. Inaddition, a digital Certificate (Cert) of the sender, which includes thesender's signature public key and sender identity information that isbound to the public key with one or more digital signatures, andpossibly any chained Certs and Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs)associated with the Cert and any chained Certs, may also be includedwith the outgoing message.

The example secure e-mail message 40 sent by the e-mail sender 30includes a component 42 including the sender's Cert, Cert chain, CRLsand digital signature and the signed message body 44. In the S/MIMEsecure messaging technique, Certs, CRLs and digital signatures arenormally placed at the beginning of a message as shown in FIG. 2, andthe message body is included in a file attachment. Messages generated byother secure messaging schemes may place message components in adifferent order than shown or include additional and/or differentcomponents. For example, a signed message may include addressinginformation, such as “To:” and “From:” email addresses, and other headerinformation.

When the secure e-mail message 40 is sent from the e-mail sender 30, itis routed through the WAN 32 to the wireless network gateway 34.Although the e-mail sender 30 sends the message 40 directly to thewireless network gateway 34, in an alternative implementation themessage is instead delivered to a computer system associated with themobile device 38 and then sent to the mobile device 38 by the associatedcomputer system. As described above, in a further alternativeembodiment, the message is routed or redirected to the mobile device 38through the wireless network 36 via a wireless VPN router or otherinterface.

The receiver of the signed message 40, the mobile device 38, checks thedigital signature 42 using the sender's signature public key (in apublic key signature scheme) and a signature verification algorithmcorresponding to the signature algorithm used by the message sender 30.If the secure message 40 was encrypted or otherwise processed by thesender 30 after being signed, then the mobile device 38 first decryptsor performs other inverse processing operations on the message beforesignature verification is performed. If encryption or processing wasperformed before signing, however, inverse processing such as decryptionis performed after signature verification.

In order to verify the digest signature, the receiver 38 retrieves thesignature public key of the sender 30, generally by extracting thepublic key from the sender's Cert 42 attached to the message 40, andthen performs the signature verification algorithm using the retrievedpublic key. The secure message 40 shown in FIG. 2 includes the sender'sCert 42, from which the sender's public key can be extracted. Thesender's public key may also be retrieved from a local store, forexample where the public key was extracted from an earlier message fromthe sender 30 and stored in a key store in the receiver's local store.Alternatively, the public key may be retrieved from the sender's Certstored in a local store, or from a Public Key Server (PKS). A PKS is aserver that is normally associated with a Certificate Authority (CA)from which a Cert for an entity, including the entity's public key, isavailable. A PKS might reside within a corporate LAN such as 18 (FIG.1), or anywhere on the WAN 32, Internet or other network or systemthrough which message receivers may establish communications with thePKS.

The Cert, Cert chain and CRLs 42 are used by a receiver to ensure thatthe sender's Cert is valid, i.e., that the Cert has not been revoked orexpired, and is trusted. A Cert is often part of a Cert chain, whichincludes a user's Cert as well as other Certs to verify that the user'sCert is authentic. For example, a Cert for any particular entitytypically includes the entity's public key and identificationinformation that is bound to the public key with a digital signature.Several types of Cert currently in use include, for example, X.509Certs, which are typically used in S/MIME, and PGP Certs, which have aslightly different format. The digital signature in a Cert is generatedby the issuer of the Cert, and can be checked by a message receiver asdescribed above. A Cert may include an expiry time or validity periodfrom which a messaging client may determine if the Cert has expired.Each Cert may also be checked against a CRL to ensure that the Cert hasnot been revoked.

If the digital signature in a message sender's Cert is verified, theCert has not expired or been revoked and the issuer of the Cert istrusted by a message receiver, then the digital signature of the messageis trusted by the message receiver. If the issuer of the Cert is nottrusted by the receiver, then the message receiver may trace acertification path through the Cert chain to verify that each Cert inthe chain was signed by its issuer, whose Cert is next in the Certchain, until a Cert is found that was signed by a root Cert from asource trusted by the receiver, such as from a large PKS. Once a rootCert is found, then a signature can be trusted, because both the senderand receiver trust the source of the root Cert. This trust mechanism isused, for example, in S/MIME. Although other messaging schemes,including PGP, for example, may use different trust mechanisms, thepresent invention is in no way dependent upon a particular signaturescheme or trust mechanism.

At the e-mail sender 30, secure messaging characteristics, messagesigning in the message 40, may be controlled by messaging settings,either default messaging settings or a currently selected group ofmessaging settings established by a user, or by over-riding default orcurrent messaging settings. In known systems, whenever a message havingdifferent message characteristics than those specified in a currentgroup of message settings is to be sent from a messaging client, adifferent group of messaging settings must be selected or currentsetting must be over-ridden.

Frequent messaging settings changes are not only tedious and timeconsuming, but are also prone to error. For example, some securemessaging clients may be configured to exchange either secure orunsecure messages with other messaging clients. However, as describedabove, known messaging clients allow only a single group of messagingsettings to be active at any time. Therefore, when a secure messagingclient exchanges messages with unsecure messaging clients relativelyoften, a user of the secure messaging client may normally select onlygeneral messaging settings as default messaging settings to ensure thatsent messages may be processed by unsecure messaging clients. Then, whena secure message is to be sent to a secure messaging client, a differentgroup of settings is selected or the current general messaging settingsare over-ridden, so that a secure message is sent. When a user forgetsto select secure messaging settings or over-ride general messagingsettings, a message that was intended to be sent securely is sent in theclear. This situation may be particularly undesirable when such amessage contains confidential or otherwise sensitive information.Similarly, when secure messaging settings are used as default settingsand not over-ridden when a message is to be sent to an unsecuremessaging client, the unsecure messaging client will be unable toprocess the secure message and the message sender must re-transmit themessage in an unsecure format. In most cases, however, a sender is notaware that a recipient is unable to process a received message until therecipient informs the sender that the message could not be processed. Assuch, re-sending is not typically performed in a timely manner, which isa substantial problem when a message includes time-critical information.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a wireless mobile communication deviceimplementing an automatic messaging setting selection system.

The mobile device 38 includes a memory 52, a messaging client 60, a userinterface (UI) 62, and a wireless transceiver 64.

The memory 52 is a writeable store such as a RAM into which other devicecomponents and systems may write data, and preferably includes a storagearea for a Cert store 54, an address book 56 in which messaging contactinformation is stored, an application data storage area 58 which storesdata associated with software applications on the mobile device 38, anda settings store 59 which stores messaging settings. Data stores 54, 56,58 and 59 are illustrative examples of stores that may be implemented ina memory 52 on mobile device 38. The memory 52 may also be used by otherdevice systems in addition to those shown in FIG. 3, and used to storeother types of data.

The messaging system 60 is connected to the wireless transceiver 66 andis thus enable for communications via a wireless network.

The UI 64 may include such UI components as a keyboard or keypad, adisplay, or other components which accept inputs from or provide outputsto a user of the mobile device 38. A mobile device 38 typically includesmore than one UI, and the UI 64 therefore represents one or more userinterfaces.

The messaging client 60 stores received Certs to the Cert store 54 andalso retrieves stored Certs from the Cert store 54. Certs are normallystored in the Cert store 54 in the format in which they are received,but may alternatively be parsed or otherwise translated into a storageformat before being written to the store 54. Certs may be received withsecure messages, requested from a Cert source such as a PKS via thewireless transceiver 64, or loaded onto the mobile device 38 through acommunications interface such as a serial port, a Universal Serial Bus(USB) port, an Infrared Data Association (IrDA) port, an 802.11 module,or a Bluetooth™ module, from a similarly equipped external system, a PCfor example. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that “802.11” and“Bluetooth” refer to sets of specifications, available from theInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, relating to wirelessLANs and wireless personal area networks, respectively. Cert loadingfrom further sources my be supported via such other interfaces as asmart card reader or a Secure Digital (SD) port. As described above, apublic key in a Cert may be required for sending or receiving securemessages.

The address book 56 stores contact information, at least some of whichis preferably used by the messaging client 60 in messaging operations.Entries in an address book 56 are typically most often used foraddressing messages to be sent from a messaging client. Address bookentries are also used to replace addressing information, such as ane-mail address, with a personal or familiar name when a message that isreceived from a sender for which an address book entry exists in theaddress book 56 is displayed to a user of the mobile device 38. Anaddress book entry can typically be created either manually, for exampleby inputting contact information or selecting an address from a receivedmessage using a UI 62, or automatically, such as by configuring themessaging client 60 to store contact information when a message isreceived from a sender for which no entry exists in the address book 56.Contact information could also possibly be extracted and stored in theaddress book 56 when a new Cert is stored to the Cert store 54, asdescribed in the co-pending International Patent Application Serial No.PCT/CA03/00406, entitled “Certificate Information Storage System AndMethod”, assigned to the assignee of the present application andincorporated herein by reference.

The settings store 59 stores messaging settings which control thecharacteristics of outgoing messages sent from the mobile device 38. Thesettings store 59 may store more than one group of messaging settings,although in known systems, only one previously selected group ofsettings is active at any time. A typical messaging client determineswhich group of messaging settings was previously selected and uses thesettings to control the characteristics of an outgoing message.

The messaging client 60, however, is configured to provide for selectionof messaging settings for each outgoing message. This feature may beenabled, for example, for each address book entry. FIG. 4 is a blockdiagram showing an exemplary address book entry that supports messagingsettings selection.

The address book entry 70 includes multiple contact information fields,for a first name 72, a last name 74, an e-mail address 76, a mailingaddress 78, other contact information 80, and messaging settings 82. Anactual address book entry may contain more, fewer or different fieldsthan those shown in FIG. 4, and some fields in an address book entry maypossibly be blank. For example, the messaging client 60 may require onlyan e-mail address 76 in order to use an address book entry 70 to addressan outgoing message and may thus use an address book entry 70 if otherfields are blank. The messaging client 60, or alternatively other devicecomponents, may be configured to use other fields in the entry 70 whenthey are populated. The absence of information in one or more fields inan incomplete address book entry preferably does not preclude use ofother populated fields in the address book entry.

The content of fields 72 through 78 will be apparent from the labels inFIG. 4. The field 80 may include such other contact information as atelephone number, a fax number, and the like for an associated contact.The messaging settings field 82 preferably includes a group of messagingsettings to be used to control the characteristics of any messages sentto the contact to which the entry 70 corresponds. Messaging settings arepreferably manually configurable by a user of the mobile device 38,using a UI 62 such as a keyboard and a settings function of themessaging client 60, for example. Address book entries may instead beconfigured to allow editing thereof to establish or change messagingsettings. Once established for a contact, messaging settings are storedin the messaging settings field 82. Alternatively, as described infurther detail below, messaging settings may be stored in another datastore or memory, and a memory pointer or other identifier that may beused to access the stored messaging settings is stored in the settingsfield 82.

When the address book 56 includes entries having a messaging settingsfield 82, messaging settings are selected for each message that is to besent by the messaging client 60 based on a message addressee.

In operation, a message is composed on the mobile device 38 using UIs 62such as a keyboard and a display. The messaging client 60 is normallyconfigured to send new messages and reply messages, and also to forwardreceived messages. When a recipient for an outgoing message is selectedfrom the address book 56, before or after the message has been composedor possibly while the message is being composed, the messaging client 60accesses the messaging settings field 82 in the address book entry 70 todetermine the messaging settings that should be used to control messagecharacteristics of the outgoing message.

The messaging settings field 82 may contain either the actual messagingsettings for messages addressed to the particular contact to which theaddress book entry 70 corresponds, or possibly an identifier or pointerto a group of messaging settings that have been established and storedin the memory 52, in the settings store 59 for example. If the messagingsettings field 82 includes an identifier or pointer, then the messagingclient 60 accesses the settings store 59 to select the correspondingsettings to control message characteristics. The use of such anidentifier or pointer reduces the overall memory storage space requiredwhen a group of messaging settings is used for several contacts in anaddress book 56. In this case, the actual settings are stored in thesettings store 59 only once and then accessed and used each time acorresponding identifier or pointer is found in an address book entry.For example, a user may wish to establish common messaging settings tobe used for every contact having an e-mail address associated with aparticular domain. The user may then establish the common messagingsettings, in the settings store 59 for example, and include a pointer ormessaging settings name in each address book entry having an e-mailaddress associated with that domain. In this particular example, themessaging client 60 may instead be configured to determine a domain nameof a recipient e-mail address of an outgoing message and then access thesettings store 59 to determine whether common messaging settings havebeen established for the domain name.

As described above, messaging settings may control general messagecharacteristics, such as formats and fonts, as well as secure messagecharacteristics, such as signing and encryption. When the selectedmessaging settings dictate that a secure message is to be sent, themessaging client 60 retrieves any required keys and processes theoutgoing message as specified in the selected messaging settings. Forexample, when the selected messaging settings, contained or identifiedin the messaging settings field 82, specify that a signed and thenencrypted S/MIME message is to be sent, then the messaging client 60 mayuse its own private key to generate a digital signature for the message,generate a session key, and use the session key to encrypt the messageand the digital signature, retrieve a public key or Cert for the messagerecipient from the Cert store 54, and encrypt the session key with thepublic key.

This technique for selection of messaging settings allows a user of themessaging client 60 to establish preferred messaging settings for eachcontact for which an entry has been created and stored in the addressbook 56. Each time a message is sent to such a contact, the preferredmessaging settings are selected and used, so that a user is not requiredto manually over-ride default or currently active messaging settings.Once messaging settings have been selected for a message, the messagingclient preferably displays a settings indicator so that a user of themessaging client can quickly determine how the message will be sent. Asettings indicator may be a messaging settings name, a type of messagesuch as “signed S/MIME”, or some other indicator from which the selectedmessaging settings will be apparent to the user.

Messaging settings may be established for a contact, by manuallyconfiguring settings using a UI 62 for example, based on therelationship between the user of a messaging client 60 and the contact.For example, a user may establish messaging settings for only generalmessage characteristics for personal contacts if message security is notimportant for message exchange with personal contacts. The same user mayestablish messaging settings for both general and secure messagecharacteristics for business contacts. For instance, when messageexchange with internal business contacts in the same company are alreadysecure, when an encryption scheme is used for all communications betweencorporate users, or when all user workstations operate within a networkbehind a firewall, for example, a user may establish messaging settingsto specify that outgoing messages should only be signed using S/MIME.The user may also establish another group of messaging settings forexternal business contacts to specify that messages to any such contactsshould be encrypted and signed using PGP, for example. Other criteriamay also be used to determine the particular messaging settings that areestablished for any contact in an address book 56.

Many messaging clients permit a user to create distribution listsincluding multiple contacts. Messaging settings may preferably beestablished for such distribution lists separately from those for eachcontact in the list. When a single contact is addressed directly in anoutgoing message, the messaging settings associated with that contactare selected and used to control message characteristics of the outgoingmessage. If the same contact appears in a distribution list that is usedto address another outgoing message, then messaging settings for thedistribution list are selected. The use of such distribution listmessaging settings avoids contention between conflicting messagingsettings for contacts in the list. Such settings conflicts areeffectively resolved by a user when distribution list messaging settingsare established. In a further enhancement of basic distribution listsettings implementation, the messaging client 60 is configured toidentify conflicting messaging settings between any contact and adistribution list to which the contact is added, and to alert a user tothe conflict. The user is then able to establish appropriatedistribution list messaging settings, drop the contact from thedistribution list, edit messaging settings for the contact, or take someother action to resolve the conflict.

A similar messaging settings conflict resolution scheme may also beimplemented when an outgoing message is separately addressed to multiplerecipients, by configuring the messaging client 60 to alert a user toany conflicting messaging settings for the recipients, whether therecipients are multiple contacts with respective messaging settings,multiple distribution lists with distribution list messaging settings,or some combination of contacts and distribution lists. The user thenselects the messaging settings that should be applied to the outgoingmessage. The messaging client 60 preferably allows a user to specifythat the messaging settings associated with each recipient should beapplied to the outgoing message, in which case the messaging client 60generates different versions of the outgoing message having differentmessage characteristics according to recipient messaging settings. Wheredistribution list messaging settings are not enabled or established,then this feature also provides for resolution of messaging settingsconflicts between contacts in a distribution list when a composedmessage is addressed to the list instead of when the list is created.

The use of contact-specific messaging settings, group-specific messagingsettings and/or distribution list-specific messaging settings asdescribed above preferably does not preclude the use of defaultmessaging settings. For example, a user may establish certain messagingsettings to control message characteristics when no messaging settingshave been established for one or more recipients of an outgoing message,such as when a new recipient e-mail address is entered manually or auser replies to a message received from a contact for which no addressbook entry exists.

The default messaging settings may also be used even when specificmessaging settings have been established, when the default and specificmessaging settings relate to different messaging characteristics. A usermay thereby control some message characteristics with default settingsand other characteristics with specific settings. In the event of aconflict between the default and specific messaging settings for anymessage characteristics, the specific settings preferably takeprecedence, although a messaging settings conflict resolution scheme asdescribed above may instead be used.

Many messaging clients 60 allow a user to set recipient addresses inoutgoing messages in different ways. Recipient addresses may be selectedfrom an address book 56 as described above, but addresses may also beentered by a user using a UI 62 such as a keyboard or keypad, orinserted by the messaging client 60, when an outgoing message is a replymessage for example. Messaging settings selection when a recipientaddress is selected from an address book 56 has been described above.When an address is entered manually or inserted by the messaging client60, however, the messaging client 60 preferably accesses the addressbook 56 and possibly the settings store 59 to determine whethermessaging settings for the address, or similar addresses, have beenestablished. If an address book entry which includes the address isfound, then messaging settings specified or identified in the addressbook entry are selected for the outgoing message. Where messagingsettings have been stored to the settings store 56 for a domain name inan email address, a company or division name, or some other identifierassociated with the address, then those settings are selected. Thus,messaging settings selection need not be dependent upon addressing anoutgoing message by recipient address selection from an address book 56.

Messaging settings selection preferably does not prevent a user fromover-riding currently selected messaging settings. In somecircumstances, a user may wish to over-ride default or selectedmessaging settings. For instance, if a personal message is to be sent toan external business contact for which messaging settings have beenestablished to specify that outgoing messages to the contact should besigned and encrypted, then the user may wish to over-ride the messagingsettings to send an unsecure message. Similarly, when no specificmessaging settings have been established for a recipient of an outgoingmessage, a user may over-ride default messaging settings to controlmessage characteristics of the outgoing message.

The messaging client 60 may be configured to detect when default orspecific messaging settings are over-ridden, and to prompt the user todecide whether stored messaging settings should be updated to reflectthe resultant new messaging settings. If specific messaging settings areover-ridden, then the specific messaging settings may be updated. Whendefault messaging settings are over-ridden, then the resultant messagingsettings may be used to update specific messaging settings, if theyexist, or if not, to establish new specific messaging settings, for theoutgoing message recipient(s) for which messaging settings wereover-ridden.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method of selecting messagingsettings on a messaging client.

The method begins at step 92 when a message is composed. When themessage is addressed to one or more intended recipients at step 94, themessaging client determines whether specific settings have beenestablished for the recipients. If so, then the specific settings areselected, and optionally displayed, at step 98. Otherwise, defaultsettings, if any, are selected at step 100. Any of the schemes describedabove may be used at step 96 to determine whether specific settings havebeen established, including checking an address book entry when arecipient address is selected from an address book, or searching anaddress book and settings store when a recipient address is enteredmanually or inserted by the messaging client.

When more than one recipient is addressed in an outgoing message, steps96 through 100 are repeated for each recipient, and messaging settingsconflicts are detected at step 102. Detected settings conflicts are thenresolved at step 104, by alerting a user to the conflict and promptingthe user to choose which message settings should be applied, forexample.

If any specific settings are over-ridden by the user, whether to resolvea settings conflict or to change message settings for the outgoingmessage, as determined at step 106, existing default or specificmessaging settings may be updated, or new specific messaging settingsmay be created, at step 108. If no settings have been over-ridden ormessaging settings have been created or updated if required, the methodproceeds to step 110, in which a message is prepared under the controlof the messaging settings and sent to any addressed recipients. When theoutgoing message is addressed to more than one recipient and differentmessaging settings are to be used to control message characteristics ofthe outgoing message, more than one message, each having differentmessage characteristics, is prepared and sent at step 110.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a wireless mobile communication device. Themobile device 600 is preferably a two-way communication device having atleast voice and data communication capabilities. The device preferablyhas the capability to communicate with other computer systems on theInternet. Depending on the functionality provided by the device, thedevice may be referred to as a data messaging device, a two-way pager, acellular telephone with data messaging capabilities, a wireless Internetappliance or a data communication device (with or without telephonycapabilities).

The dual-mode device 600 includes a transceiver 611, a microprocessor638, a display 622, a non-volatile memory 624, a RAM 626, auxiliaryinput/output (I/O) devices 628, a serial port 630, a keyboard 632, aspeaker 634, a microphone 636, a short-range wireless communicationssub-system 640, and may also include other device sub-systems 642. Thetransceiver 611 preferably includes transmit and receive antennas 616,618, a receiver (Rx) 612, a transmitter (Tx) 614, one or more localoscillators (LOs) 613, and a digital signal processor (DSP) 620. Withinthe non-volatile memory 624, the device 100 preferably includes aplurality of software modules 624A-624N that can be executed by themicroprocessor 638 (and/or the DSP 620), including a voice communicationmodule 624A, a data communication module 624B, and a plurality of otheroperational modules 624N for carrying out a plurality of otherfunctions.

As described above, the mobile device 600 is preferably a two-waycommunication device having voice and data communication capabilities.Thus, for example, the mobile device 600 may communicate over a voicenetwork, such as any of the analog or digital cellular networks, and mayalso communicate over a data network. The voice and data networks aredepicted in FIG. 6 by the communication tower 619. These voice and datanetworks may be separate communication networks using separateinfrastructure, such as base stations, network controllers, etc., orthey may be integrated into a single wireless network.

The communication subsystem 611 is used to communicate with the network619. The DSP 620 is used to send and receive communication signals toand from the transmitter 614 and receiver 612, and may also exchangecontrol information with the transmitter 614 and receiver 612. If thevoice and data communications occur at a single frequency, orclosely-spaced set of frequencies, then a single LO 613 may be used inconjunction with the transmitter 614 and receiver 612. Alternatively, ifdifferent frequencies are utilized for voice communications versus datacommunications, then a plurality of LOs 613 can be used to generate aplurality of frequencies corresponding to the network 619. Although twoantennas 616, 618 are depicted in FIG. 6, the mobile device 600 could beused with a single antenna structure. Information, which includes bothvoice and data information, is communicated to and from thecommunication module 611 via a link between the DSP 620 and themicroprocessor 638.

The detailed design of the communication subsystem 611, such asfrequency band, component selection, power level, etc., is dependentupon the communication network 619 in which the mobile device 600 isintended to operate. For example, a mobile device 600 intended tooperate in a North American market may include a communication subsystem611 designed to operate with the Mobitex or DataTAC mobile datacommunication networks and also designed to operated with any of avariety of voice communication networks, such as AMPS, TDMA, CDMA, PCS,etc., whereas a mobile device 600 intended for use in Europe may beconfigured to operate with the GPRS data communication network and theGSM voice communication network. Other types of data and voice networks,both separate and integrated, may also be utilized with the mobiledevice 600.

Depending upon the type of network 619, the access requirements for thedual-mode mobile device 600 also vary. For example, in the Mobitex andDataTAC data networks, mobile devices are registered on the networkusing a unique identification number associated with each device. InGPRS data networks, however, network access is associated with asubscriber or user of a mobile device 600. A GPRS device typicallyrequires a subscriber identity module (“SIM”), which is required inorder to operate the mobile device 600 on a GPRS network. Local ornon-network communication functions (if any) may be operable, withoutthe SIM, but the mobile device 600 will be unable to carry out anyfunctions involving communications over the network 619, other than anylegally required operations, such as ‘911’ emergency calling.

After any required network registration or activation procedures havebeen completed, the mobile device 600 may send and receive communicationsignals, preferably including both voice and data signals, over thenetwork 619. Signals received by the antenna 616 from the communicationnetwork 619 are routed to the receiver 612, which provides for suchoperations as signal amplification, frequency down conversion,filtering, channel selection, and analog to digital conversion. Analogto digital conversion of the received signal allows more complexcommunication functions, including digital demodulation and decoding,for example, to be performed using the DSP 620. In a similar manner,signals to be transmitted to the network 619 are processed by the DSP620 to modulate and encode the signals, for example, and the processedsignals are then provided to the transmitter 614 for digital to analogconversion, frequency up conversion, filtering, amplification andtransmission to the communication network 619 via the antenna 618.Although a single transceiver 611 is shown in FIG. 6 for both voice anddata communications, the mobile device 600 may include two distincttransceivers, such as a first transceiver for transmitting and receivingvoice signals, and a second transceiver for transmitting and receivingdata signals, or multiple transceivers for operation in differentoperating frequency bands.

In addition to processing the communication signals, the DSP 620 alsoprovides for receiver and transmitter control. For example, the gainlevels applied to communication signals in the receiver 612 andtransmitter 614 may be adaptively controlled through automatic gaincontrol algorithms implemented in the DSP 620. Other transceiver controlalgorithms could also be implemented in the DSP 620 in order to providemore sophisticated control of the transceiver 611.

The microprocessor 638 preferably manages and controls the overalloperation of the mobile device 600. Many types of microprocessors ormicrocontrollers could be used for this part, or, alternatively, asingle DSP 620 could be used to carry out the functions of themicroprocessor 638. Low-level communication functions, including atleast data and voice communications, are performed through the DSP 620in the transceiver 611. Other, high-level communication applications,such as a voice communication application 624A, and a data communicationapplication 624B may be stored in the Flash memory 624 for execution bythe microprocessor 638. For example, the voice communication module 624Amay provide a high-level user interface operable to transmit and receivevoice calls between the mobile device 600 and a plurality of other voicedevices via the network 619. Similarly, the data communication module624B may provide a high-level user interface operable for sending andreceiving data, such as e-mail messages, files, organizer information,short text messages, etc., between the mobile device 600 and a pluralityof other data devices via the network 619. On the mobile device 600, amessaging client may operate in conjunction with the data communicationmodule 624B in order to implement the techniques described above.

The microprocessor 638 also interacts with other device subsystems, suchas the display 622, the non-volatile memory 624, the random accessmemory (RAM) 626, the auxiliary input/output (I/O) devices 628, theserial port 630, the keyboard 632, the speaker 634, the microphone 636,the short-range communications subsystem 640 and any other devicesubsystems generally designated as 642. The components 628, 632, 634,and 636 are examples of the types of subsystems that could be providedas the UIs 62 (FIG. 3). The modules 624A-N are executed by themicroprocessor 638 and provide a high-level interface between a user ofthe mobile device and the mobile device. This interface typicallyincludes a graphical component provided through the display 622, and aninput/output component provided through the auxiliary I/O devices 628,the keyboard 632, the speaker 634, or the microphone 636.

Some of the subsystems shown in FIG. 6 perform communication-relatedfunctions, whereas other subsystems may provide “resident” or on-devicefunctions. Notably, some subsystems, such as the keyboard 632 and thedisplay 622 are used for both communication-related functions, such asentering a text message for transmission over a data communicationnetwork, and device-resident functions such as a calculator or task listor other PDA type functions.

Operating system software used by the microprocessor 638 is preferablystored in a persistent store such as the non-volatile memory 624. Asthose skilled in the art will appreciate, the non-volatile memory 624may be implemented, for example, as a Flash memory device, a batterybacked-up RAM, or a non-volatile memory chip and associated controller.Other suitable components or arrangements that provide data retentionwhen power is lost will also be apparent to those skilled in the art. Inaddition to the operating system and communication modules 624A-N, thenon-volatile memory 624 may also include a file system for storing data.A storage area is also preferably provided in the non-volatile memory624 to store public keys, a private key, and other information requiredfor secure messaging. The operating system, specific device applicationsor modules, or parts thereof, may be temporarily loaded into a volatilestore, such as RAM 626 for faster operation. Moreover, receivedcommunication signals may also be temporarily stored to RAM 626 beforepermanently writing them to a file system located in the non-volatilememory 624.

An exemplary application module 624N that may be loaded onto thedual-mode device 600 is a personal information manager (PIM) applicationproviding PDA functionality, such as calendar events, appointments, andtask items. This module 624N may also interact with the voicecommunication module 624A for managing phone calls, voice mails, etc.,and may also interact with the data communication module 624B formanaging e-mail communications and other data transmissions.Alternatively, all of the functionality of the voice communicationmodule 624A and the data communication module 624B may be integratedinto the PIM module.

The non-volatile memory 624 preferably provides a file system tofacilitate storage of PIM data items on the device. The PIM applicationpreferably includes the ability to send and receive data items, eitherby itself, or in conjunction with the voice and data communicationmodules 624A, 624B, via the wireless network 619. The PIM data items arepreferably seamlessly integrated, synchronized and updated, via thewireless network 619, with a corresponding set of data items stored orassociated with a host computer system, thereby creating a mirroredsystem for data items associated with a particular user.

The mobile device 600 may also be manually synchronized with a hostsystem by placing the mobile device 600 in an interface cradle, whichcouples the serial port 630 of the mobile device 600 to the serial portof the host system. The serial port 630 may also be used to enable auser to establish messaging settings through an external device orsoftware application, to download other application modules 624N forinstallation, and to load Certs, keys and other information onto adevice. This wired download path may be used to load an encryption keyonto the device, which is a more secure method than exchangingencryption information via the wireless network 619.

Additional application modules 624N may be loaded onto the mobile device600 through the network 619, through an auxiliary I/O subsystem 628,through the serial port 630, through the short-range communicationssubsystem 640, or through any other suitable subsystem 642, andinstalled by a user in the non-volatile memory 624 or RAM 626. Suchflexibility in application installation increases the functionality ofthe mobile device 600 and may provide enhanced on-device functions,communication-related functions, or both. For example, securecommunication applications may enable electronic commerce functions andother such financial transactions to be performed using the mobiledevice 600.

When the mobile device 600 is operating in a data communication mode, areceived signal, such as a text message or a web page download, isprocessed by the transceiver 611 and provided to the microprocessor 638,which further processes the received signal for output to the display622, or, alternatively, to an auxiliary I/O device 628. A user of mobiledevice 600 may also compose data items, such as email messages, usingthe keyboard 632, which is preferably a complete alphanumeric keyboardlaid out in the QWERTY style, although other styles of completealphanumeric keyboards such as the known DVORAK style may also be used.User input to the mobile device 600 is further enhanced with a pluralityof auxiliary I/O devices 628, which may include a thumbwheel inputdevice, a touchpad, a variety of switches, a rocker input switch, etc.The composed data items input by the user may then be prepared asspecified in selected messaging settings and transmitted over thecommunication network 619 via the transceiver 611.

When the mobile device 600 is operating in a voice communication mode,the overall operation of the mobile device 600 is substantially similarto the data mode, except that received signals are output to the speaker634 and voice signals for transmission are generated by a microphone636. Alternative voice or audio I/O subsystems, such as a voice messagerecording subsystem, may also be implemented on the mobile device 600.Although voice or audio signal output is accomplished primarily throughthe speaker 634, the display 622 may also be used to provide anindication of the identity of a calling party, the duration of a voicecall, or other voice call related information. For example, themicroprocessor 638, in conjunction with the voice communication module624A and the operating system software, may detect the calleridentification information of an incoming voice call and display it onthe display 622.

The short-range communications subsystem 640 may include any of the Certloading interfaces described above for example, including an infrareddevice, an 802.11 module, a Bluetooth module, a USB port, an SD port,and a smart card reader. Although described above as Cert loadinginterfaces, these interfaces are also commonly used to transfer othertypes of data.

The above description relates to one example of the present invention.Many variations will be apparent to those knowledgeable in the field,and such variations are within the scope of the invention as describedand claimed, whether or not expressly described.

For example, a messaging settings selection system or method may also beconfigured to store and access information other than messagingsettings. Where a messaging client is enabled for both sending andreceiving messages, characteristics of received messages provide anindication of the capabilities of a messaging client used by a sender.If a signed and encrypted S/MIME message is received from a particularsender, then it is likely that the sender's messaging client supportsall of the S/MIME variants. As such, it may be useful to store messagingcapabilities in addition to messaging settings, in an address bookentry, a settings store, or a separate messaging capabilities store.Stored messaging capabilities may then be accessed and displayed to auser, for example, when a settings conflict is identified. Wherespecific messaging settings for a message addressee differ from those ofanother message addressee for the same message, stored messagingcapabilities provide an indication as to whether the addressee mightsupport the messaging settings of the other addressee. Capabilitiesinformation allows a user to make an informed decision as to how suchmessages with settings conflicts could or should be sent. Anotherpossible application of messaging capabilities is in determining whetherany discrepancy exists between established specific messaging settingsfor a contact and the types of messaging settings that appear to besupported by the contact. A user could be prompted to set securemessaging settings for a contact in an address book entry when a securemessage is received from a contact for which no messaging settings, oronly general messaging settings, have been established.

In addition, although a wireless mobile communication device is shown inFIG. 6 and described as one possible messaging client, the invention mayalso be implemented in other messaging clients, including thoseoperating on or in conjunction with desktop, laptop, and networkedcomputer systems.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: storing, at a mobiledevice, a first specific messaging setting in association with a firstrecipient address, the first specific messaging setting controlling amessage characteristic for outgoing messages addressed to the firstrecipient address; defining an address for a distribution list, thedistribution list comprising a plurality of recipient addresses; storinga second specific messaging setting in association with the distributionlist address, the second specific messaging setting controlling amessage characteristic for outgoing messages addressed to thedistribution list; after defining the distribution list and thedistribution list address, adding the first recipient address to thedistribution list; and in response to addition of the first recipientaddress to the distribution list, detecting a conflict between the firstspecific messaging setting and the second specific messaging setting;resolving the conflict by updating either the existing first specificmessaging setting that is stored at the mobile device in associationwith the first recipient address or the existing second specificmessaging setting that is stored at the mobile device in associationwith the distribution list address so that the existing first specificmessaging setting or the existing second specific messaging setting isnot in conflict; and after the conflict is resolved, receiving aninstruction to initiate composition of a message addressed to thedistribution list address.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:initiating transmission of a composed message addressed to thedistribution list address after the conflict is resolved.
 3. The methodof claim 1, further comprising issuing a notification of the detectedconflict in response to the addition of the first recipient address tothe distribution list.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstrecipient address comprises an address for a distinct distribution listaddress.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the first specificmessaging setting in association with the first recipient addresscomprises determining, from a message received from the first recipientaddress, messaging capabilities associated with the first recipientaddress, the first specific messaging setting being identified from themessaging capabilities.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein resolving theconflict comprises changing the first specific messaging setting to nolonger be in conflict with the second specific messaging setting.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein resolving the conflict comprises changing thesecond specific messaging setting to no longer be in conflict with thefirst specific messaging setting.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst specific messaging setting controls encryption of outgoingmessages addressed to the first recipient address.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first specific messaging setting controlsapplication of a digital signature outgoing messages addressed to thefirst recipient address.
 10. A communication device, including; acommunication subsystem; at least one memory component; and a processorin communication with the communication subsystem and the at least onememory component, the processor being configured to enable: storing, inthe at least one memory component, a first specific messaging setting inassociation with a first recipient address, the first specific messagingsetting controlling a message characteristic for outgoing messagesaddressed to the first recipient address; defining an address for adistribution list, the distribution list comprising a plurality ofrecipient addresses; storing, in the at least one memory component, asecond specific messaging setting in association with the distributionlist address, the second specific messaging setting controlling amessage characteristic for outgoing messages addressed to thedistribution list; after defining the distribution list and thedistribution list address, adding the first recipient address to thedistribution list; and in response to addition of the first recipientaddress to the distribution list, detecting a conflict between the firstspecific messaging setting and the second specific messaging setting;resolving the conflict by updating either the existing first specificmessaging setting that is stored in the at least one memory component inassociation with the first recipient address or the existing secondspecific messaging setting that is stored in the at least one memorycomponent in association with the distribution list address so that theexisting first specific messaging setting or the existing secondspecific messaging setting is not in conflict; and after the conflict isresolved, receiving an instruction to initiate composition of a messageaddressed to the distribution list address.
 11. The communication deviceof claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to enable:initiating transmission, using the communication subsystem, of acomposed message addressed to the distribution list address after theconflict is resolved.
 12. The communication device of claim 10, whereinthe processor is further configured to enable issuing a notification ofthe detected conflict in response to the addition of the first recipientaddress to the distribution list.
 13. The communication device of claim10, wherein the first recipient address comprises an address for adistinct distribution list address.
 14. The communication device ofclaim 10, wherein storing the first specific messaging setting inassociation with the first recipient address comprises determining, froma message received from the first recipient address, messagingcapabilities associated with the first recipient address, the firstspecific messaging setting being identified from the messagingcapabilities.
 15. The communication device of claim 10, whereinresolving the conflict comprises changing the first specific messagingsetting to no longer be in conflict with the second specific messagingsetting.
 16. The communication device of claim 10, wherein resolving theconflict comprises changing the second specific messaging setting to nolonger be in conflict with the first specific messaging setting.
 17. Thecommunication device of claim 10, wherein the first specific messagingsetting controls encryption of outgoing messages addressed to the firstrecipient address.
 18. The communication device of claim 10, wherein thefirst specific messaging setting controls application of a digitalsignature outgoing messages addressed to the first recipient address.19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium bearing code which, whenexecuted by a processor of an electronic device, causes the device toimplement the method of: storing a first specific messaging setting inassociation with a first recipient address, the first specific messagingsetting controlling a message characteristic for outgoing messagesaddressed to the first recipient address; defining an address for adistribution list, the distribution list comprising a plurality ofrecipient addresses; storing a second specific messaging setting inassociation with the distribution list address, the second specificmessaging setting controlling a message characteristic for outgoingmessages addressed to the distribution list; after defining thedistribution list and the distribution list address, adding the firstrecipient address to the distribution list; and in response to additionof the first recipient address to the distribution list, detecting aconflict between the first specific messaging setting and the secondspecific messaging setting; resolving the conflict by updating eitherthe existing first specific messaging setting that is stored at theelectronic device in association with the first recipient address or theexisting second specific messaging setting that is stored at theelectronic device in association with the distribution list address sothat the existing first specific messaging setting or the existingsecond specific messaging setting is not in conflict; and after theconflict is resolved, receiving an instruction to initiate compositionof a message addressed to the distribution list address.